The Second Son

A Thriller (Chase Burke, Book 1)

By: Simon Gervais, Ryan Steck

Narrated by: Joe Knezevich

A pulse-pounding yet soulful espionage thriller for fans of Brad Thor, Jack Carr, and Mark Greaney, delivering plot twists so explosive, it took two top suspense writers to pull it off.

Soldier-turned-sommelier Chase Burke may have traded his rifle for bottles of wine, but violence and conspiracy aren’t through with him yet. First, his intelligence analyst brother is killed in a covert op gone wrong and branded a traitor. Then a brutal ambush at the restaurant where Chase works leaves the woman he is romantically involved with—a congresswoman—clinging to life.

Scrambling to clear the family name and protect his secret love, Chase teams up with NYPD Detective Alice Doyle, a single mother fighting battles of her own. Together they uncover a powerful criminal syndicate whose unscrupulous influence sweeps the globe—and strikes painfully close to home.

As elite mercenaries close in, Chase is dragged back into the dangerous world he thought he’d escaped. Facing a mother losing her memory and a past that never forgets, he fights to win a zero-sum game where trust can be lethal. But when all seems lost, an unlikely ally could help turn the tide…

©2025 by Simon Gervais Entertainment, Ltd. and Ryan Steck. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“From the opening page to the last, this book is a relentless force of non-stop action and thrills.”—firstCLUE Reviews

“A deftly crafted espionage thriller of a read from cover to cover…the stuff of which block-buster action/adventure movies are made.”—Midwest Book Review

Never sure who was the bad guy.

Too many words used at certain times. Scenes can be explained easier without repeating information explainer earlier in the story.

Plot

Plot had interesting twists. Narrator made story more interesting Would recommend to spy stories and thrillers

Fun listen

This was a good listen. It had enough to hold the interest while not requiring undivided attention. Was able to listen while walking the dog and exercising which broke workout monotony without breaking focus.

Good wrap up in the end of tying off various threads.

Looking Forward To The Sequel

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars but rounded up to 4 stars because the last chapter and the epilogue kept me interested. I will definitely read the sequel. The story was somewhat predictable but there was a twist that I didn't expect.

When is the next one?

Great story. It’s refreshing to read something I hadn’t come across before. First time reading these authors and I’m excited for more!